Source: www.hra-news.org
Translation by Iran Press Watch
Neda Mohabbí, Atefeh Zahedi, Farideh Ayoubi, Noura Ayoubi, Zarrindokht Ahadzadeh, and Zhaleh Rezaei—six Bahá’í women residing in the city of Hamedan—have been collectively sentenced to 38 years and 11 months of imprisonment by Branch 2 of the Hamedan Revolutionary Court.
This verdict was recently issued by Branch 2 of the Hamedan Revolutionary Court and communicated to the individuals. According to the ruling, these six women were found guilty and sentenced primarily on the charges of being members of the Bahá’í community and engaging in teaching and propagation deemed contrary to Islamic principles.
Individual Sentences:
- Neda Mohabbí was sentenced to:
- Five years in prison for the charge of teaching and propagation,
- Two years and eight months for the charge of membership in the Bahá’í community.
- Three years of her prison sentence have been suspended for five years.
- Atefeh Zahedi, Farideh Ayoubi, Noura Ayoubi, Zarrindokht Ahadzadeh, and Zhaleh Rezaei were each sentenced to:
- Two years and eight months for membership in the Bahá’í community,
- Three years and seven months for teaching and propagation deemed contrary to Islamic law.
- Two years of the sentences for Noura Ayoubi, Ahadzadeh, and Rezaei have been suspended for five years.
These women had previously been released on bail in towards the end of 2023 pending trial.
They were arrested on November 7, 2023 by security forces and transferred to the detention center of the Hamedan Intelligence Department.
Notably, the homes of Zhaleh Rezaei and Farideh Ayoubi were searched by agents following their arrests.
In the past decade, Iran’s Bahá’í community has faced more systematic security and judicial harassment than any other religious minority. According to annual reports by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), an average of 72% of reports concerning religious minorities in the past three years have been about violations of Bahá’í civil rights.
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